Digital three-dimensional manufacturing, also known as digital additive manufacturing, is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. Three-dimensional object printing is an additive process in which one or more extruder or ejector assemblies form successive layers of material on a substrate in different shapes. In some conventional three-dimensional object printers, the extruders are similar to printheads in document printers, as they include an array of extruders that emit a continuous stream of material to form layers, rather than an array of ejectors that eject drops of material to form layers.
In other known three-dimensional object printers, the extruder assembly includes a single nozzle configured to extrude the build material to form layers for production of a printed object. The nozzle is generally configured as a small circular hole that emits a continuous filament of build material. The filaments are laid down layer by layer to form the three-dimensional part. In such an extruder assembly, the printed object should be formed quickly and accurately. The diameter of the nozzle determines both the minimum resolution of the part and the speed at which the object can be formed. For example, a larger diameter nozzle can form the object more quickly, but has reduced resolution, while a smaller diameter nozzle can form smaller details, but the product requires more time to produce. Thus, in conventional three-dimensional object printers, the size of the nozzle presents a trade-off between build speed and build resolution.
Accordingly, improvements in systems and methods for forming three-dimensional objects with printers that include extruder assemblies so the objects have greater detail and reduced production time would be beneficial.